The Condundrum of Double Permanence in Settler Colonial Society, and a Pathway to Building Genuine Reconciliation

150 years ago, BC politicians and settlers conveniently told themselves that Indigenous people were a vanishing race, and so rationalized that there was no need to negotiate treaties or to account for Indigenous rights in long term thinking and planning.

This has created today’s conundrum of double permanence – both Indigenous and settler societies are here to stay, but none of BC governing or resource managing systems were designed to account for Indigenous title and rights.

In this presentation, Prof. Keith Carlson provides an overview of the process through which BC’s settler colonial systems were developed and discusses the ways in which settler colonialism (predicated on displacing Indigenous people from their lands and resources) has sustained itself.

Carlson will also provide helpful definitions of key concepts and specific examples from history to help us all find ways to contribute meaningfully to the process of transcending settler colonialism and to building a genuinely respectful new relationship between Indigenous and settler societies.